Kory said:
I am almost positive i am going with the [InFocus screenplay 4800] projector. Is this a good one? How will games and DVDs look on it? Also about how far away will i need to place the projector to get about a 60" image? How dark will the room need to be?
I know you are considering the 4800 rather than the 4805, but if memory serves, the 4805 is simply a newer version of the same projector.
I would suggest that you read the following (Projectorcentral.com is pretty much the equivalent of Audioholics.com, but (you guessed it
) for projectors.):
http://www.projectorcentral.com/infocus_screenplay_4805.htm
For what its worth, I can also give you my own opinion, as I auditioned the 4805 before going for the 5700.
1. I was very impressed with the 4805. For a projector at its price point, the picture is excellent. Note the words 'price point' though. More money buys you a higher native resolution (more pixels).
2. I play my Nintendo gamecube on my projector (never tried it on the 4805 when auditioning), and find it fabulous (think Mario-Kart at that size
) apart from in one respect; black level. Projectors typically struggle (compared to CRT displays for example) in generating really black blacks, so discerning shadow/dark details in an image can sometimes be a bit of a struggle. Again, more money buys you better definition in this area.
3. Going by the 'projector calculator throw' function on the aforementioned website, the projector would need to be 8.9 feet from the wall/screen for a 63"
diagonal image dimension if the zoom is not used, and 7.4 feet for the zoom set at maximum
4. Basically the darker the better. All projectors will struggle to varying degrees in daylight conditions (the money thing again I'm afraid). You should definitely be able to see the image in daylight with the curtains closed, but I'd be surprised if you would enjoy watching DVDs. That said, I find playing my gamecube during daylight hours with regular curtains closed acceptable.
Hope this has been of some small help to you.
Regards
